Kismet
by SummerStarWatcher
Summary: Halloween carnival!  Rose and Tom get their fortunes told... what will their futures hold?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi! I didn't expect to post something else so soon, but I found this story in one of my old journals. Its completed, so I'll post the next (final) chapter soon. Ish. How about, after I get two reviews on this, I'll update? There's some incentive to leave a review. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

~Star

XXXX

Rose

It was Halloween, and school was having a carnival.

I wasn't going to go, but Molly and Kiran said we had to.

"Support the school," said Molly.

Kiran added that all the money raised meant the dances would be less rubbish. And it was in all of our interests to have that happen, at long last. At sixteen, we should be able to expect higher quality discos.

So we're going. And Indy. And David. And Tom (who is taking a gap year (much to the dismay of his parents) (and sister) and is living with Indy in London).

Saffy and Sarah aren't going, though. When we ask them why, they airily reply "Oh no, we couldn't go. No, no, much too busy. Much, much too busy to bother with a silly carnival."

They're hiding something. And Indy knows what.

I asked him, and he just said, "It's nothing, Rosy Pose." And smiled in a secretive way.

I wanted to know.

So we went to the carnival (it was in the gym). The decorating committee had clearly been at work, turning the usually bland, pasty walls of the gym into bland, pasty walls covered in black and orange crepe paper. There were booths and games all over, and people were everywhere. Actually, I had been expecting a lot fewer people… apparently many people supported the betterment of school discos (Kiran said). Huh. They had bobbing for apples, a wheel of (mis)fortune, pie eating contests, and 'fishing' for the little kids (one of the blue gym mats stood on edge with little kids 'casting their lines' over it, and reeling in 'fish' (candy) from the boys behind the mat). And games like magnet fishing, basketball, beanbag toss, and ring toss. (I was planning on spending a large amount of time and money at the ring toss, in order to win the giant fluffy bear for Buttercup and Jassy and Juniper and new baby Maddy (Michael and Caddy named her after me, after my other color (rose madder). We call her Maddy so no one gets confused.) The children would love the bear, if I could win it.) And one corner was curtained off into a tent-like thing, labeled "Mystical Madame Serendipity's Fortune Telling," with a hastily scrawled "and her Amazing Assistant Sylvia" beneath it.

There was a long line for the fortune telling.

"Come on," said Indigo with a glint in his eye. "Let's get our fortunes told!" He started herding us toward the end of the line.

I don't like fortune tellers. If we don't know something already, then we shouldn't know it. Surprises are better. So I didn't really want to have my fortune told, even if it was fake.

I looked at Molly.

"May as well," she said, submitting to the herding.

"It's all fake," Kiran frowned. "But still," her expression brightened, "there's no harm in it. And I almost want to know what some quack thinks my future is going to be." She followed Molly into the line.

"Well I'm looking forward to it," Tom said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "I always like to have a head start on Fate. Come on, Rosy Pose, lets go find out what our futures hold."

After that, could I really say no? No, I couldn't. So I sighed and let Tom pull me towards the others.

The line took forever. I kept glancing at the ring toss, hoping no one won the bear before I could get there.

Tom noticed my crossed fingers. "What're you wishing for, Permanent Rose?"

"Oh. Just the big white bear at the ring toss." I saw his confused look, and explained, "For Buttercup and Jassy and Juniper and Maddy. They would like it."

Tom grinned at me, and my heart beat a little faster. "So selfless, Rose. Isn't there anything you want for yourself?"

My mind leapt to the horribly expensive (200 pounds!) art kit. High quality paints, pastels, chalk, pencils, and a huge sketchbook. Way out of my budget. I sighed. "No," I replied. "Nothing. I'm happy."

He narrowed his eyes. "I noticed that sigh. Don't think I won't figure out what you want, Permanent Rose. You're just like Frances: you can't hide from me." He poked my nose, pulling me a little closer.

I giggled.

Indigo looked at us, frowning indignantly. "Tom, that's my little sister. Flirt somewhere else."

I turned red, and scowled at Indy. I hate it when my family treats me and Tom like we're a couple. We're not. We're just friends. We don't belong together, no matter what they say, because what if one of us changes our mind? What if Tom falls in love with someone else? I don't want to belong to anyone. I tried to duck out from under Tom's arm.

He held me in place, grinning lazily at Indy. "And how do you think Saffy feels about you and Sarah?" Indigo blushed. "Learn to deal with it, mate."

Molly and Kiran were laughing their heads off. I glared at them, but they didn't stop. Luckily, we were next in line for the fortune teller. (Finally!) I marched up to the ticket collector before anyone else could, and was led to the entrance of the tent.

Inside, a couple lamps covered in purple blankets provided a soft violet glow, accentuated by the deep red fabric hanging on the walls. A crystal ball perched on the table, peered into by a hunched figure clothed in the same purple and red as the rest of the tent. Then she looked up.

"Sarah!" I said in surprise.

She scowled up at me. "Shh! I'm Madame Serendipity!"

"Sarah, you're the fortune teller? Where's Saffy?"

"Shut up, Rose!" Saffy hissed from the back of the tent. "You'll ruin it!"

I looked back and forth between them, then caved to the power of their glares. I sat down in the chair opposite Sarah. "So, Madame Serendipity. My fortune?"

"Shh," Sarah said again. "I need quiet to work." She passed her hands over the crystal ball, murmuring something. "Ah, it's coming clear now. I see a boy, with dark hair. He's slouching, looks quite impressed with himself… on a roof, way high up… holding a guitar…."

I frowned. "Sarah, come on. Make up something." She glowered at me, so I hastily shut up.

Passing her hands over the ball again, she continued. "This boy, he's here again… and again, and again. He's there throughout your future. And your past. Good lord, this boy is everywhere!" I rolled my eyes.

Sarah looked up at me, totally serious. "There's only one explanation for this." She paused, waiting for me to ask.

Fine. "What?"

She leaned forward, peering into my eyes. "This boy is your soul mate."

This was too much. "Sarah!" I stood up and gave her an evil look. She grinned unapologetically. I huffed a sigh and stormed out of the tent, ignoring the questions from everyone else waiting outside.

Couldn't my family just leave me alone about Tom?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So here's what is supposed to be the last chapter of this story. However, reading back through it, I decided it was missing some things. Look for another update soon: the epilogue! Deals with the missing pieces, unanswered questions, and unresolved issues.

Oh, and thanks to everyone who posted such kind reviews on my story Mismanagement. You guys are really great, thanks!

Read and enjoy, and don't forget to review!

~Star

XXXX

Tom

I watched Rose come storming out of the fortune teller's tent, pushing past her friends without a word. I frowned, wondering what had upset her. Judging by the look of barely-concealed amusement on Indigo's face, I'd say he knew.

I raised my eyebrow in a silent query. Indy just shook his head, still grinning.

Rose's friend Molly stared after her, then turned back to the ticket collector. Handing him her ticket, she stepped inside the tent, and I settled down to wait.

Ten minutes later, Molly and Kiran had gone into the tent and come out looking surprised but satisfied. I had a sneaking suspicion of who the fortune teller was, especially once Indigo came out, looking flushed and happy.

"Hey," I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and a sly look on my face. "That lipstick on your face?"

Over-casually, he reached up and wiped off his mouth, examining the resulting red streak. "Hm," he said noncommittally, unable to keep a small grin off his face.

I laughed outright. "And you have the gall to give me grief for hugging Rose."

He frowned at me. "That's different. She's my baby sister."

"Hate to break it to you, but she's not a baby anymore."

Indigo looked at me, rather solemnly. "She's not a baby, but she's still only sixteen. You're a whole five years older; just be careful, okay?"

I met his eyes, just as serious. "I know. I'd rather die than hurt Rose, you know that. I promise she'll be okay."

Indy looked away, apparently satisfied. "I always knew this would happen someday."

"What?"

"When I'd have to let someone else take care of Rose." He clapped my back. "Your turn, Tom."

I turned and handed my ticket to the collector, and ducked into the tent. I was hardly surprised when the dim light revealed the fortune teller to be Sarah, peering into a compact mirror and struggling to repair her smudged lipstick. She looked up, startled, when I entered, then broke into a sheepish smile.

"Hello, Madame Serendipity, I'm here for my fortune." I stuck my hands in my pockets.

"Well," Sarah said, smoothing down her hair. "Have a seat, and let's take a look. Want a palm reading or the crystal ball?"

"Crystal ball, I think. More… infinite."

She grinned. "Okay, mysterious it is. Hmm… well, I see you getting Rose a fantastic gift for her birthday."

I was intrigued. I'd been having trouble thinking of something perfect enough for her, something she'd really like. "Really? What?"

"An art kit, one from that shop in London. It has everything… pastels, pencils, chalk, paints, even a sketchbook. It's one she's been wanting for at least a year."

Oh, good. "Thank you, Sarah."

She frowned. "Madame Serendipity, please. Oh, and I see something else… several years down the road… you're kneeling down, holding her hand… Why, Tom, it looks as if you're proposing!" She mimed astonishment.

I blinked, not entirely surprised that Sarah would 'see' that. The Casson family was quite supportive of me and Rose as an eventuality. Rose, however, was not. I don't know why, but she never liked it when people acted like we were a couple. And then I was struck by a sudden understanding. "You said all that to Rose, didn't you?" That would explain why she came stamping out of the tent.

For a moment, Sarah looked a bit upset. "Yes, I did. I don't know why Rose…" she trailed off, before regaining her composure. "Now, you've had your turn, get out of here. People are waiting." She shooed me out of the tent.

Once outside, I looked around for Rose, and found her wearing a grim expression at the ring toss. I strolled over and stood behind her, watching her play the game. She missed every time.

"Awful," I remarked happily. "Terrible aim."

Rose spun around, surprised to find me standing there. Then she grimaced. "I know. I've just never been any good at the sports stuff."

"Here. Let me try." I picked up one of the rings and hefted it for a moment in my hand, getting a feel for it. Then I carefully flung it into the booth, smiling satisfactorily when it spun around and settled on the post.

Rose gaped at me. "How do you do that?" she demanded. "Teach me."

"Well, it's not something you can learn so quickly. Takes practice. You just have to know how its going to fly, how hard you have to throw it to make it land where you want it to, the angle…" I trailed off. It was obvious Rose didn't really get it. (She has never been very good at hand-eye coordination. Like when I got her those juggling balls for Christmas. That was a disaster. Buttercup can juggle better than Rose.) So I settled for offering, "Let me have a go at this, Rosy Pose?"

She nodded and relinquished her remaining rings. I threw them all in quick succession, landing them all directly on the post. The booth operator looked at me with raised eyebrows, so I took a bow, grinning at Rose's astonished expression. The operator got down the huge fluffy white bear, and I presented it to Rose with a flourish. "Your prize, my darling."

"But Tom, you won it," she protested, peering out from under one of the bear's arms. "You should have it."

"And what would I do with a gigantic, fluffy bear like that," I scoffed. "No, its better that you have it."

She grinned at me, thoroughly satisfied with this turn of events. We walked off together in search of the others. I watched her attempt to see around the long fur of the bear, unable to keep a grin off my face at the ridiculous image she presented. I sighed happily, fully confident in our future together.

After all, Sarah had said so.


End file.
